Charge continuity equation 2026-10-07
The local form of conservation of electric charge relates charge density to current density. Taking the divergence of the Ampère-Maxwell equation and substituting Gauss's law proves the equation, using that the divergence of a curl is zero.
Cylindrical magnetostatic pressure balance 2026-10-05
For an axisymmetric vector field independent of the axial coordinate and regular on the axis, Gauss's law for magnetism gives . The magnetostatic Ampère-Maxwell equation then gives , , and in Gaussian units. Radial magnetostatic equilibrium isFor enclosed axial electric current , the magnetostatic Ampère-Maxwell equation gives , henceThe first term contains pressure and axial magnetic pressure; the second combines toroidal magnetic pressure with the hoop force from magnetic tension.
Displacement current Created 2026-09-29 Updated 2026-10-06
In vacuum, the displacement-current density is . Its contribution to magnetic circulation makes the Ampère-Maxwell equation compatible with changing electric charge.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ib Paper 1 16B iv Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 ib Paper 2 6D Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
Take the divergence of the Ampère-Maxwell equation, . Since the divergence of a curl is zero vanishes, and Gauss's law gives , the result isThis is the charge continuity equation.
At an internal point of a homogeneous Ohmic conductor, Ohm's law gives . Since is constant, the charge continuity equation becomes . ThereforeThis is charge relaxation. Here is the total charge appearing in the vacuum form of Gauss's law; in a homogeneous dielectric description of free charge the corresponding constant permittivity replaces .
For a finite isolated body, charge travels to the surface. The bulk formula applies at internal points, not across the interface where electrical conductivity jumps and surface charge density accumulates. Integrating the charge continuity equation over the body, including its surface charge, gives constant total electric charge because no electric current crosses the external boundary. Bulk decay and conservation of electric charge are therefore compatible.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 ib Paper 2 6D a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
In SI units the Ampère-Maxwell equation is . Since , the displacement-current term vanishes and . Apply Stokes theorem to an oriented surface with positively oriented boundary :Hence the integral form of Ampère's law isHere is vacuum magnetic permeability, is current density, and positive enclosed electric current is defined by the orientation of .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 314 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use Faraday's law and the solenoidal magnetic-field constraint . In the nonrelativistic, single-fluid approximation, neglect Hall and other nonideal electromotive terms and use the moving-conductor moving-conductor Ohm law, . Infinite electrical conductivity with finite current gives , henceThis is the ideal magnetohydrodynamic induction equation. For comparison, neglecting displacement current in Ampère-Maxwell equation gives ; with uniform finite electrical conductivity it produces magnetic diffusion , where the magnetic diffusivity is . The ideal approximation requires a large magnetic Reynolds number . Dropping displacement current is useful for this finite-conductivity comparison, but Faraday's law and the ideal Ohm relation already suffice for the ideal induction equation.
Expanding the curl and using the solenoidal magnetic-field constraint gives the material derivative formCombine this with mass conservation, , to obtainNow parametrize a material curve by a fixed label : obeys . Differentiating with respect to shows that its tangent evolves by . This is exactly the same linear ordinary differential equation as for . Initially parallel tangents remain parallel by uniqueness, with a label-dependent proportionality factor constant along each particle trajectory. Thus magnetic field lines are transported as material curves, wherever the field and fluid flow are smooth and the field is nonzero. This is the field-line form of magnetic flux freezing.
For the flux statement, take a material surface and let , . Both tangents obey . Its oriented material surface element is . Differentiating the cross product, rather than assuming its transport rule, givesEquivalently, , with . Contracting this derived rule with the induction equation gives a pointwise cancellation:Integrating over the fixed material labels therefore proves conservation of flux through an open material surface:The surface need not be closed; its boundary is carried with the fluid. The result follows from material transport, rather than from the zero flux through a closed surface.
For a homologously shrinking cloud, write and keep its shape factors fixed. Conserved mass gives ; conserved magnetic flux gives . Thus the gravitational and magnetic energies scale aswhere are dimensionless geometry factors. Both grow in magnitude as , so collapse cannot reduce magnetic support relative to gravity while the mass-to-flux ratio is frozen. With negligible gas pressure, contraction lowers the combined potential energy only when its coefficient of is negative. Consequently a necessary critical mass-to-flux ratio condition isHere denotes the magnitude of the conserved threading flux. The numerical coefficient depends on geometry and boundary conditions; the scaling argument does not determine it or make the condition sufficient in the presence of other support.
For adiabatic pressure support during gravitational collapse, . The pressure-support scale is , so relative to either gravity or magnetic energy,Pressure becomes more important as decreases if , equally important in scaling if , and less important if . In particular, a monatomic perfect gas with becomes increasingly pressure supported. For isothermal pressure support during gravitational collapse, the isothermal equation of state gives , so is constant and : isothermal pressure becomes less important during collapse. The same comparisons hold against magnetic support because its energy has the same scaling as gravity.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 35D Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
The Maxwell equations with vacuum permittivity and permeability give and . The current identity is the Ampère-Maxwell equation, and Faraday's law gives . With ,The identity , and its electric analogue, turn this into the divergence of the Maxwell stress tensor . Thus the tensor in the question is its negative:The vector is electromagnetic momentum density, and is the outward flux of its th component across a surface normal in the direction. In static conditions the total force on matter is ; generally subtract the time derivative of the enclosed electromagnetic field momentum as well.
For the two infinite sheets, superposition and the electromagnetic field jumps give , between them and zero outside. Substitution yields exactlyA thin pillbox enclosing the sheet has only its face in the interior electromagnetic field. ThereforeDirectly, omit the sheet's self-electromagnetic field: the other sheet supplies and . The Lorentz force per area is , giving the same result. The electric contribution is attractive and the magnetic contribution repulsive.
If for a single moving charge population, use to obtain . For physical this is attractive, so motion of these charges cannot make the force repulsive. Independently imposed currents need not satisfy that restriction on .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ia Paper 3 11C Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Apply the curl of the curl identity to Faraday's law, and use the Ampère-Maxwell equation. This givesApplying the same identity to , using , gives
For a spherically symmetric charge density, Gauss's law on a sphere of radius givesFor the unit-density ball of radius ,The potential is continuous at and tends to zero at infinity.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ib Paper 3 17C Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Take the dot product of Ampère-Maxwell equation with and of Faraday's law with . The divergence of a cross product identitythen gives the local Poynting theoremIntegration and the divergence theorem produce the stated equation. Its terms are the rate of change of electromagnetic energy, the work per unit time done on charges, and the outward flux of the Poynting vector .
Let the plate separation be and their radius be , so . Between the plates,For a circular Amperian loop of radius , the displacement current in the Ampère-Maxwell equation givesThereforewhich points radially outward. Its flux through the cylindrical side is , exactly for the stored capacitor energy .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ib Paper 4 7C Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Taking the divergence of the Ampère-Maxwell equation and using the Gauss's law giveswhich is charge conservation from Maxwell equations .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 314 3 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
With no dependence on the azimuthal or axial coordinates, Gauss's law for magnetism in cylindrical coordinates givesRegularity at the axis forces , so . The radial component of the magnetostatic Ampère-Maxwell equation isConsequentlyThis is also the starting point of cylindrical magnetostatic pressure balance.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 314 3 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
The remaining magnetic field has . The radial Lorentz force density separates into a magnetic pressure gradient and inward magnetic tension:Here has radial component because . Thus magnetostatic equilibrium givesIntegrating the axial component of the magnetostatic Ampère-Maxwell equation gives , since regularity removes the integration constant. Substituting combines the toroidal terms intoThis is the cylindrical magnetostatic pressure balance equation in terms of enclosed electric current.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 314 3 d Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Setting in cylindrical magnetostatic pressure balance gives . The axial boundary value sets this constant to . Thus the magnetic pressure support with vanishing axial field solution isThe azimuthal component of the magnetostatic Ampère-Maxwell equation givesSince , the radial limit isThere is a regularity subtlety: is not a smooth function of Cartesian position at the axis, and the nonzero limiting multiplies an azimuthal unit vector with no unique direction there. These formulas solve the radial problem for and give the requested scalar limit, but the data in this part do not admit the fully smooth vector-field regularity assumed in part (a).
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 ii Paper 4 35E Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Substitution of the sinusoidal plane waves into the two divergence equations gives the transversality of an electromagnetic plane wave,Faraday's law and the Ampère-Maxwell equation give, respectively,Taking the first equation and using transversality yieldsThus a nonzero plane electromagnetic wave in a linear medium must satisfyIn particular, , , and are mutually orthogonal, with .
Take the interface to be and the plane of incidence to be the -plane. The incident, reflected, and transmitted wavevectors may be writtenThe phase matching at a planar wave interface requires one common angular frequency and one common tangential wavevector:Since , this gives the Snell law for electromagnetic waves,
For the final polarization, take the signed electric amplitudes along . The dielectric-interface boundary conditions require continuity of tangential and . Sincetheir - and -components giveandEliminating yieldsUsing and Snell's law,Therefore the reflected-to-transmitted transverse-electric amplitude ratio iswith the polarization directions chosen so that the displayed signed factor is nonnegative; otherwise its absolute value gives the magnitude ratio.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2020 ib Paper 2 15D b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
Apply the integral Ampère-Maxwell equation to the boundary of a spherical cap of radius and polar angle . By axial symmetry is constant along the boundary, whose circumference is . The displacement-current flux through the cap isThusUsing gives
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 ib Paper 1 15D b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
The magnetostatic Ampère-Maxwell equation is . Substituting and using the Coulomb gauge givesThe free-space Green function of the Laplacian therefore givesFor the thin wire current stated in the question this becomes
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 ib Paper 3 15D a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
In a region with no current, the Ampère-Maxwell equation and Faraday's law areThereforewhere the last line uses the divergence and curl of a cross product. Thus Poynting's theorem takes the formThe vector is the Poynting vector.